Despite being painted as a disappointment for the national team, Vinicius Junior has always been a beloved and important player for the Selecao, and he is having a 2026 World Cup for the ages thus far to prove that narrative very, very wrong indeed.
In three games of the group stages, Vinicius found the back of the net a whopping four times, breaking all time records like, for example, Thierry Henry's notch of goal contributions at a World Cup in his career.
The Real Madrid superstar left winger has scored more goals than any player not named Harry Kane in 2026 despite doing a lot of the dirty work out wide, and Real Madrid fans know full well that he was not at all to blame for the events of the last season.
Jose Mourinho is not listening to the noise about Vinicius Jr.
And their new manager, Jose Mourinho, would agree with them. Mourinho has wisely taken it upon himself to block the media noise about superstars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. and instead back both superstar players to the fullest.
Recently, Mourinho spoke about Vini and stated that Vini is a game changer whom he will do everything to help become even better than he is now. Mou said, via Madrid Xtra, “Vinicius? He can change a game by himself, a very exciting player. He has everything to become greater than he already is. My job is simply to help him reach that level.”
Real Madrid fans have heard a lot from outsiders not just about Vinicius Junior and Kyilan Mbappe, but also about Jose Mourinho himself. They have heard that he is an egoist who will destroy the locker room further and make things about him and that he is finished at the elite level.
But when you actually listen to him speak about the psychology of the players and the humility with which he regards the superstars, you can tell how much he gets it - how much he understands what it takes to manage these footballers and what it means to coach a team like Real Madrid.
Perhaps Mourinho was never finished. Perhaps it was the incompetence of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Roma - clubs that have done nothing for years since Mou left them and were terrible before him, too - that made him look that way.
Mourinho knows Vinicius Jr. is special, and everyone who actually watches him play knows that, too. That includes the Madridistas. They will be happy to hear Mou acknowledges his talent and is ready to go to work for him, too.
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